This salad is filling but light. Perfect if you have to fit into a special outfit the next day! Mia changes the vegetable ingredients depending on what she gets from the market that week, so feel free to experiment with whatever you have.

Serve with champagne or a crisp, white wine. Serves 3-4

2 pan seared tuna steaks or 2 tins of tuna (use best quality chunk tuna in olive oil)

3 hardboiled eggs, peeled and quartered

10 small new potatoes, each potato scrubbed halved or quatered

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 handfuls of green lettuce, baby spinach or rocket

½ cup red cabbage, finely chopped

15 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 lebanese cucumber, sliced

1/2 small red onion, sliced very thin

2 handfuls green beans, stem ends trimmed and each bean halved crosswise

2 yellow squash, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup kalamata olives

2 tbsp capers, rinsed

 Dressing

1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp minced fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

If using fresh tuna: Marinate tuna steaks in a little olive oil for an hour. Heat a large pan on medium high heat, or place on a hot grill. Cook the steaks 2 to 3 minutes on each side until cooked through.

Whisk lemon juice, oil, shallot, thyme, basil, oregano, and mustard in medium bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring potatoes (covered with cold water) to boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and cook until potatoes are tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon. Toss warm potatoes with 1/4 cup vinaigrette; set aside.

Steam the green beans and squash until crisp but tender (3-5 minutes). Cool in a bowl of ice.

Arrange bed of lettuce on a serving platter and place on tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, beans, squash and potatoes. Cut tuna into 1/2-inch thick slices, and place in centre. Arrange hard boiled eggs, olives, and anchovies (if using) in mounds on the lettuce bed. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle entire salad with capers, and serve immediately.

500g fresh linguine

2 heads of garlic

Handful fresh parsley, finely chopped

2 tblspn capers

2 tblspn butter

1 preserved lemon, finely chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

Ground pepper

Fresh grated parmesan

Preheat oven to 200 deg C. Chop the top third off each garlic head and discard, placing remainder on foil. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Wrap in foil so the garlic is completely covered and roast until garlic is very soft, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly and squeeze garlic out of husks. Set aside.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook until tender. Drain and place in serving bowl.

As the pasta is cooking, combine a dash of oil and butter in small pan over medium-low heat. When butter melts, add roasted garlic, preserved lemon, parsley and capers and cook for a minute or so, until ingredients are warmed through. Toss through pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan and season generously with pepper. Serve immediately.

1 cup self raising flour

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 cup chopped dried apricots

100gm butter melted

250gm white chocolate
Melt butter. Mix dry ingredients together, then mix butter in until a dough is formed.
Press into a baking paper lined dish. Bake at 180c until the top is golden brown (approx 10-15 mins). Allow to cool and cut into squares. Melt white chocolate over a basin of hot water and then dribble over the biscuits. Allow to harden and serve immediately.

This is a hearty and delicious meal that will always have people coming back for more: A perfect winter dish!

Serve with fresh linguine, green salad and warm bread. Serves 2-4 (depending on how hungry you are!)

500g organic lean mince

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, sliced wafer thin

6 roma tomatoes, diced

6 mushrooms, sliced

1 stick celery, sliced

1 carrot, finely chopped

1/2 zucchini, finely chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon beef stock powder

1/2 cup dry red wine

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Dash Tabasco

Dash balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh herbs (Basil, oregano, parsley), chopped

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 tblspn olive oil

In a pan, heat oil on low and add onion then garlic and celery, cooking until translucent (be careful not to burn). Add carrot and zucchini and cook for 3-5 mins. Add the meat and cook until brown, breaking up any large lumps. Add tomatoes, red wine, sauces, vinegar, stock and herbs and simmer gently. You can simmer until the sauce has reduced and the meat and veges are cooked (about 20-30 mins) or you can put it over a really low heat, add a bit more wine, cover and cook for 1-2 hours (just make sure it doesn’t burn – keep adding liquid – either wine if you like it very rich, or water). Yum!

Despite sounding a bit unusual, this dip is a dream. It has got a wonderful fresh flavour and goes well with bread, corn chips, vegetables…you name it. It’s quite light and won’t fill you up too much – the perfect start to any meal.
Serves 4

500g carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 cloves garlic
2 spring onions, roughly chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of 1 lemon
100ml olive oil
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Cook carrots until tender. Place cooked carrots in a processor with remaining ingredients, except coriander and process until desired consistency (I like to leave it a little bit chunky). Enjoy!

Although Mango isn’t readily available in Australia during Winter, you could serve this sweet, sticky rice with your favourite poached fruit (for example, pears poached in red wine) for a perfect winter desert.

Serves 2-4.

1 cup sticky rice (available at Asian food stores)

1 3/4 cups water

1-2 ripe mangos, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar (for a natural sweetener substitute maple syrup)

1 tin coconut milk or cream

1/4 tsp

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 tsp cornflour, dissolved in 2 Tbsp water.

Soak the rice in 1 cup water for 20 – 60 minutes (longer is better, but if you’re short on time then 20 is fine). The sticky rice can be steamed or made in a pot. To make it in a pot: add 3/4 cup (more) water to the rice, plus 1/4 can coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar. Stir this into the rice, lifting any rice grains that have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then partially cover with a lid (leaving some room for steam to escape). Turn the heat down to low. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and leave to “steam” cook for 5-10 minutes.

Warm the rest of the can of coconut milk together with 1/4 cup sugar, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp. vanilla essence over medium heat (5 minutes). Add cornflour (dissolved in the water) to the sauce and stir to thicken it slightly. As it thickens, turn down heat to low. When thickened, remove from heat. Do not boil! Adding more sugar if desired. If too sweet for your taste, add a little more coconut milk. Place a potion of rice in a small bowl and top with Mango and sauce. Enjoy!

Mia became addicted to these on holiday in Bangkok. You can recreate them in your own home though for a tropical getaway without leaving the house!

Serve morning or afternoon as a refreshing treat. Serves 2

1 x cup fresh mango

1 x cup pineapple, diced with core removed

Juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp grated ginger

1/2 chilli, seeds removed, chopped finely

1/2 handful fresh mint

1 cup ice

In a blender put all ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

It may sound unusual, but this soup is really truly delectable. Even if you’re not a fan of the humble parsnip, the lemon and sour cream give it a beautiful flavour that will leave you wishing you’d made double the amount!

Serves 4-6.

2 tblspn olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 leek, sliced

2 sticks celery

1 clove garlic, crushed

4 small parsnips (2 large), chopped

1 cm slice ginger, roughly chopped

1.25 litres chicken or vege stock

1/2 lemon

2 bay leaves

Sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In large saucepan heat oil and cook onion, leek, celery, garlic, parsnip and ginger for 5 mins. Pour in stock and add lemon half and bay leaves. Cook for 20-25 mins until vegetables are soft. Remove lemon half and bay leaves and puree until smooth. Serve into bowls and add a dollop of sour cream and black pepper to each. Enjoy!